Perhaps an article should be included regarding the vast difference in costs of cigarettes between stores and reserves. A fellow owning a small store told me that last year he had to put the price up seven times in one year — it is all tax. When it costs $13 per 20 cigarettes, instead of $12 to $20 for a carton of 200, it is no surprise that so many people are buying illegal smokes.

In the 1980s, Premier Bob Rae put the price down to get people to quit going to the U.S. for cigarettes. It worked.

If the government would understand its greed is inhibiting legal sales, and unfortunately government’s much-needed taxes, it would do something practical about this.

There are certainly some good reasons for the Middlesex-London Health Unit to be under one roof. While the health unit is “taking the temperature on new digs,” for Londoners whose tax dollars are assisting in this adventure, leaving taxpayers in the dark is like taking that temperature rectally.

When one can’t justify their use of our tax dollars openly, it only indicates their level of respect for our community. An open discussion will lead to respect and agreement.

Christine Morgan

London

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Faulty argument

London Transit Commission reported ridership in 2014 was 24.1 million, 22.7 million in 2015 and 22.9 million in 2016.That’s a decline of five per cent over two years. With those stats, one should assume that there is no immediate problem with accommodating future ridership.

Some will say that London’s bus ridership numbers are an anomaly. Wrong. Bruce Schaller, former deputy commissioner of New York City department of transportation, says ridership on buses throughout the United States shows a decline of 15 per cent over the past six years.

London council is relying on the “build it and they will come” argument. That argument is not even viable in the baseball world.

In the past, when Londoners saw lack of leadership in their council, they took correctional steps at the polls.